Escapement.



H. A. MYERS.

ESCAPEMENT.

APPLICATION 111:0 Aue.e, 1914.

1,138,775. Patented May 11, 1915.

1 I l I I WiTNESSESZ- \NVENTOR.

THE NORRIS PETERS C0,. FHOTO-LITHO" WASHINGTON. D. c,

HUBERT A. MYERS, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

ESCAPEMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1915.

Application filed August 6, 1914, Serial No. 855,361.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUBERT A. MYERS, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Escapement; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates particularly to escapement devices for clockmechanisms, but is not restricted to such use as it is intended for usein any connection for which it may be adapted or appropriate.

The object of my invention the provision of an improved device of thischaracter, which is simple and inexpensive in its construction, silentin its operation and ad justable to vary the speed of running of themechanism with which associated.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe following detailed description thereof.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, andwhile, in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodiment in numerousforms, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which,

Figure 1 is an elevation ofthe device in connection with a'spring drivengear train, such as is commonly used in clock mechanisms. Fig. 2 is atopview thereof with the gear train removed, and Fig. 3 is an enlargedsection on the line x-m in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates one of a train of gears,which,in the present instance, employ a spring 2 as the prime movingagent, as is common in clock mechanisms. Meshing with the gear 1, in thepresent instance, is a pin-tooth gear 3, which is carried by a disk 4;that is mounted on a shaft 5. Mounted on a shaft 6 in spaced re lationto the disk 4, with its axis in parallelism therewith, is a driven gearor member 7 of the escapement device, which gear meshes with a pinion 8,in the present instance, of the pin-tooth type, which is carried by afly-wheel 9 that is mounted on a shaft 10.

A pair of spring-fingers 11, 12 have their free ends projectingintermediate the drive and driven members 4% and 7 of the escapementdevice and are fixed at their inner ends to respective outwardlyprojecting arms or lever members 13, 14:, that are mounted for rockingmovements on contiguously dis posed parallel shafts or pins 15, 16. An Iadjusting-screw 17 is threaded through a fixed bracket 18 for eachspring lever and bears against the arm of such lever which projectsoutwardly from the inner end of the associated spring 11, 12. It isevident Y that the screws 17 may be adjusted to impart a desiredconverging flexing of the inner end portions of the respective springs11, 12, whereby the free ends of the springs will be caused to exert adesired inward pressure or leverage one toward the other, such pressurebeing increased or diminished by an adjusting of the respective screws.The free end portions of the spring-fingers 11, 12 are respectivelyprovided on their inner or adjacent sides, in the present instance, withplates 19, each of which plates is provided in spaced relationlongitudinally of its finger with notches 20, 21, with the outer andinner notches of the plates in respective register, as shown.

An arm or pitman 22 pivotally projects from a crank-pin 23 on thedrive-disk 4: of theescapement device, and extends from such disktransversely of the spring-fingers 11,

12 and is provided at its free end with a between and has alternatebearing contact with the free end portions of the spring fingers 11, 12within the respective bearing notches 20 thereof during an operation ofthe device. The'bearing studs 24, 27 are preferably diamondshape incross-section to provide opposing knife edges for contact with thebottoms of the respective notches 21, 20, and such notches are ofsuitable shape and form to permit a free pivotal rocking of the bearingstuds therein. The crankpins 23 and 26 are set at reverse sides of theirrespective axes of revolution so that the pitmen 22 and 25 will havesimultaneous movements in the same direction during rotation of themembers 4, 7. The crankpins 23 and 26 are also set the same distancefrom their respective axes to cause a uniform revolving thereof.

Inasmuch as the driving force of the gear train and the prime moverthereof is acting at all times on the drive member or disk t of theescapement device, such drive member when released for movement, ashereinafter described, will, during one-half of its rotation, act on thepitman 22 to force the spring finger 12 outward to increase the flexingthereof and to store up energy therein, and will, during the next halfof its rotation, act on the pitman 22 to retract the other spring finger11 to store energy within. During an outward or energy storing stroke ormovement of each finger it will be understood that the other finger ishaving its follow-up or power-stroke and isacting against the pitman 25to communicate rotation to the driven member 7 therethrough, and thatwhen such power-stroke is completed the pitman 22 will then have itsreturn stroke to release the finger previously moved thereby and to movethe other finger to store energy therein, the finger in which energy waslast stored then acting to impart movement to the pitman 25.

The rotation of the driven member 7 is practically continuous anduniform due to the action of the balance-wheel 9 thereon in conjunctionwith the driving means, and such rotation is slower than the inter-mittent rotary driving movement of the drivemember 1, as such member istemporarily locked against movement at each half rotation thereof, ashereinafter described, and upon a release of such locking means thedriving force which acts on the member 1 causes a rapid movementthereof. Bearing in mind this relative movement of the drive and drivenmembers 1, 7 it will be understood that the driving stroke of eachfinger 11, 12 will be only partially completed when the energy restoringstroke of the other spring finger has been completed, as is lllHErtrated in full lines in Fig. 1, in which the pitman 22 is shown ashaving completed its energy restoring stroke, while the spring 11 isacting as the power spring and has moved the pitman 25 for only aportion of its stroke.

The intermittent locking and releasing of the drive member -1 isaccomplished, in the present instance, by the provision on one face ofthe disk 1, at each side of its axis, of a tooth 30 with which a catchfinger or dog 31 normally engages when the tooth is at one point in arevolution thereof. The catch finger 31 is pivoted to a bracket orstationary part 32 and is normally held in tooth-engaging position by acam finger 33, which fixedly projects from a rock-shaft 3 1:, said shaftbeing normally rocked in one direction by a spring 35, which connects apart on the bracket 32 with a finger projecting from the shaft. Theshaft 31 is journaled at one end in a bracket 32 and at its other end ina bracket 36 in which the shaft (5 is mounted and carries a finger 37adjacent to one side of the driven member 7 with its free end disposedin the path of revolution of a pair of lugs 38 on the adjacent side ofthe member 7, one at each of opposite sides of its axis. The lugs 38, inthe present instance, stand in a line with the crank-pin 26 and shaft 7and one is adapted to strike and rock the finger 37 at the completion ofeach spring actuated or driving stroke of the pitman 25. The rocking ofthe finger 37 effects a consequent rocking of the shaft 3-1 and camfinger 83 to permit an outward movement of the catch-finger 37 from stopengagement with the coacting teeth 30 on the drive member 1, thusreleasing the drive member to permit it to have one-half of a rotationimparted thereto from the prime mover of the associated mechanism. hensuch half rotation is completed the movement of the member 1 is againarrested by the stopping engagement of the catch-finger 31 with the nexttooth 30, the arresting of the member 1 being continued until the drivenmember 7 has completed its corresponding half rotation under theinfluence of one or the other of the spring fingers 11, 12, when theshaft 31 will be again rocked by the engagement of a lug 38 with thefinger 37, thus permitting a releasing movement of the catch-finger 31.It is thus evident that the drive member 1 of the escapement mechanismis not free to rotate until the spring 11, 12, which is then having itspower stroke, has completed such stroke and impaii'ted a half rotationto the driven member 7, the control mechanism being then automaticallyoperated to release the drive member to permit another partialrevolution thereof to release the spring-finger in which energy wasstored on the preceding half revolution and to move the otherspring-finger to restore energy therein. It is also evident that thealternate action of the spring-fingers 11, 12 with the bearing lugs 2 1,27 of the respective pitmen will render the escapement mechanism silentin its action, thus obviating a feature which is sometimes objectionablein the use of escapement mechanism heretofore used.

It will be understood that my escapement device is not limited to use inany particular connection or to any particular form of prime actuatingmeans, and also that the escapement device is not limited to anyspecific construction or arrangements of the parts thereof as numerousmodifications may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is,

1. In combination, a rotatable drive member, a driven member, and meansconnecting said members for communicating movement from one to the otherthereof, said means having a plurality of spring elements which haveenergy alternately stored therein by a rotation of the drive member andalternately communicating driving movements to the driven member.

2. A device of the character described having a plurality of resilientmembers having power movements in opposite directions, means alternatelyacting on said members to store energy therein, and movable meansalternately actuated by said members during the respective power strokesthereof.

3. A device of the character described having a plurality of resilientmembers having power strokes in opposite directions, means operable toalternately impart energy storing movements to said members, a rotatableelement, and means having connection with said element and alternatelyacted on by said members during the respective power strokes thereof toimpart rotation to said element.

4. In a device of the character described, a plurality of oscillatoryspring fingers having their power strokes or spring movements inopposite directions, a driven member and a drive member, means forimparting rotation to said drive member, and separate means, one forimparting energy storing movements to said fingers in alternate orderfrom a rotation. of the drive member and one for communicating movementsto said driven member in alternate order from said fingers during therespective power strokes thereof.

5. In combination, a pair of spring fingers, means for successivelyacting on said fingers to impart opposed flexing move ments thereto tostore energy therein, and means having a movable part which issuccessively operated by said springs during reflexing movementsthereof.

6. In combination, a plurality of spring fingers projecting in thesamegeneral direction and having relative outward energy storing movementsand relative outward reflex movements, means operable to impartalternate energy storing movements to said fingers, a rotatable element,and means having connection with said element and alternately acted onby said fingers during the reflex movements thereof to impart rotationto said element.

7 In combination, a plurality of resilient members projecting in thesame general directions, said members having normal movements inopposite directions relative to each other, means operable toalternately act on said members to store increased energy therein, arotatable element, and means having connection with said element andalternately moved first in one direction and then in the other directionby said members in alternate order to impart rotation to said elements.

8. In combination, a plurality of spring fingers having their springmovements in opposite directions, means for varying the spring tensionof said members, means operable to act first on one and then on theother of said members to flex the same in energy storing direction, arotatable element, and means having connection with said element andacted on first by one and then by another of said members during reflexmovements thereof to impart rotation to said element.

9. In combination, a pair of spring fingers projecting in the samedirection and having their normal movements toward one another,adjustable means for varying the spring tension of said fingers, meansoperable to successively impart energy storing strokes in oppositedirections to said fingers, a rotatable element, and means havingconnection with said element and successively acted on by said fingersduring the power or reflex strokes thereof to impart rotation to saidelement.

10. In combination, a pair of spring fingers having normal movementstoward each other, a rotatable drive member, a pitman projecting fromsaid member and having a bearing part projected between the free endportions of said fingers whereby a rotation of said member will move thepitman to impart an outward energy storing stroke to first one and thenthe other of said fingers, a driven member and a pitman projecting fromsaid member and having a bearing part projected between the free endportions of said fingers and alternately acted on first by one and thenthe other of said fingers during the respective inward power strokesthereof to impart rotation to said driven member.

11. In combination, rotatable drive and driven members, pitmenprojecting from said members eccentrically thereof, and means interposedbetween said members and having energy stored therein by one pitmanduring a rotation of its member and exert ing such stored energy on theother pitman to impart rotation to its member.

12. In combination, rotatable drive and driven elements, a pitmanprojecting from each element, spring means acted on by one of saidpitmen during a rotation of its element to effect a storing of energy insaid means and acting on the other pitman to communicate such storedenergy to the influenced Cir driven element to impart rotation thereto,and means for adjusting the tension of said spring 11163113.

13. In combination, rotatable drive and driven elements, a fly wheelhaving connection with said driven element, a pitman projecting fromeach of said elements eccentrically thereof, and means operable to haveenergy stored therein by movements of one pitman upon a rotating of saiddrive member or element and acting on the other pitman to communicatesuch stored energy to the driven member to impart rotation thereto.

14. In combination, rotatable drive and driven members, parts projectingfrom said members eccentrically thereof, means having energy storedtherein by a movement of one of said parts during a rotation of thedrive member and acting on the other of said parts to communicate thestored energy to the driven member to impart rotation thereto, and meansfor stopping the rotation of the drive member and operable atpredetermined points in a rotation of the driven member to release thedrive member.

1?. In combination, rotatable drive and driven members, means havingconnection with each of said members and having energy stored thereinupon a rotation of the drive member and having such energy communicatedto the driven member to impart rotation thereto, means for stopping therotation of the drive member at the end of each half revolution thereof,and means automatically operable at predetermined points in a rotationof the driven member to release said stop means.

16. In combination, a pair of spring fingers, means for successivelyacting on said fingers to impart opposed flexing movements thereto tostore energy therein, means having a. movable i art which issuccessively operated by said springs during refieXing movementsthereof, and means controlled by the movements of said movable part tocontrol the movements of said first means.

17. In combination, a pair of spring fingers, a rotatable drive element,means connecting said drive element and fingers and operable toalternately impart energy storing movements to said fingers upon arotation of said member, a driven member, connection between said drivenmember and fingers and alternately acted on by said fingers during theirrespective power strokes to impart successive rotation to said drivenmember, stop means for said drive member,

and means automatically operable by said driven member to intermittentlyrelease said stop means from stop engagement with said drive member.

18. In combination, a pair of oscillatory members having springinfluenced movements toward each other, a drive element, a pitmanprojecting from said drive element and having a part interposed betweensaid lingers and acting to impart an outward energy storing movement toone member during one-half of a rotation of said element and to theother member during the other half of a rotation of said element, arotatable driven element, a pitman project ing therefrom and having apart interposed between said members and successively acted on by saidmembers din-ing their respective inward or power strokes to impartrotation to said driven element, means for stopping the rotation of saiddrive element at the end of each half rotation thereof, and meansautomatically operated by said driven ele ment at predetermined pointsin a rotation thereof to release said stop means from stop engagementwith the drive element.

19. In combination, a pair of oscillatory members having springinfluenced movements toward each other, a revoluble drive part at oneside and a revoluble driven part at the other side of said members, a.pitman projecting from each of said parts and having respective portionsinterposed between said members, one pitman being operable by arevolution of he drive part to successively lie): said members outwardlyto store energy therein and the other pitman being successively acted onby said members during the respective power strokes thereof tocommunicate revolution to said driven part, means for stopping saiddrive pa rt at the end of each half revolution thereof at which pointone member stands at the limit of its outward energy storing movement,and means operated by said driven element at each half revolutionthereof to release said stop means from engagement with the driveelement, such release taking place when the other member of the pair hascompleted its power stroke.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to thisspecification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HUBERT A. dYERS. Witnesses F. F. Ann, R. G. ALLEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

